SPRINGFIELD - The Mooreland Street apartment where a family of seven was found with carbon monoxide poisoning Tuesday morning was ordered by the Housing Court not to be occupied, according to Lisa DeSousa, associate city solicitor.

At 7:38 a.m. Tuesday, Springfield firefighters were called to an apartment building at 15/17 Mooreland St. in Liberty Heights, where two women and five children were found with extremely high amounts of Carbon Monoxide in their system due to a gasoline-powered generator hooked up in the basement of the home.

The victims were rushed to Baystate Medical Center for treatment while firefighters vented the home and turned off the generator.

A short while later, DeSousa was notified of the incident and still fresh in her memory was the Housing Court document signed by the property owner a few weeks ago where he agreed to keep the dwelling vacant until a certificate of occupancy was legally obtained.

The property owner, Adelberto Bernal, the property manager of 15/17 Mooreland St. and the head of Lanred (his last name spelled backwards) Realty LLC., is in direct violation of the court order and will be summoned to court for contempt, DeSousa said.

"He knew since July that this home was not to be occupied until he went through the proper procedures to ensure it was up to code and safe for tenants," DeSousa said. "That process was not followed and now a family is in the hospital."

DeSousa explained that the property was foreclosed on by Deutsche Bank, but the foreclosure was reversed under a federal decision that invalidated illegal foreclosures across the country.

Once that process was reversed and the bank chose not to file again, the home's ownership reverted to Bernal and his Lanreb Realty LLC. company.

By this point, the property had citations pending for blight, litter and for being unsecured. This past summer it was additionally cited for two counts of illegal dumping on the property.

DeSousa said that considering how long the home sat unoccupied and for pending code violations, the court ordered Bernal to obtain a certificate of occupancy before renting it out. When applying for such a certificate, code enforcement officers would go out and conduct an inspection and pending the results of that visit, issue or deny such permission.

He signed the Housing Court agreement on Oct. 14 in Springfield and told court officials he intended to live there but wouldn't house anyone else until he went through the proper procedure, DeSousa said.

"This was signed after he failed to appear for court on Aug. 23," she said.

According to the Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Bernal's company owns several properties across the city, and his personal address is listed as 24 Mooreland Street.

Additional information about the family's condition wasn't immediately available Tuesday evening but DeSousa said that if they survive, they could pursue civil action against Bernal because "he knew it was unfit to be occupied."

The Springfield Fire Department reminds citizens that any gasoline generators should be connected outdoors where the buildup of carbon monoxide fumes will disperse safely.